The Grocery Store Trip
by lunanoel
Summary: Todd thinks about their life situation and what meds to get for Lance, whose currently sick from a migraine and hanging out in the bathroom. Kind of sickfic, mostly set-up. Rated T just because. (Completed)


**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution**

He was standing in the medicine aisle of the local grocery store, calculations going through his mind to figure out how to input this temporary expense. The fluorescent lights above buzz in his ears, along with the sounds of other people chatting in the aisles, cart wheels rattling, and the vague lyrics of an old pop song playing quietly over the speakers. Several rows of colorful boxes are organized in front of him, detailing cures for various symptoms. Todd was concentrating on the migraine medication, mentally listing them by cost and effectiveness. Amazing what a tiny bottle of pills could cost, especially given the Brotherhood's limited budget.

Almost everyone in the Brotherhood had some form of role in terms of household chores; Lance was the one with the highest success rate of holding down a job, so he was the main breadwinner of the house (one of the many reasons why he was the de facto leader).

Fred also contributed to their legal funds, getting freelance construction jobs from time to time that were really helpful in keeping them out of the red. Fred's main task in the house, however, was cooking meals, something he unsurprisingly excelled in.

Pietro wasn't exactly the best at finding work, and his taste in food left something to be desired, so he was in charge of cleaning. It didn't need to be spotless, none of them were really comfortable with a sterile environment, so there wasn't really much pressure on the silver speedster; just make sure it wasn't vermin-friendly and keep stock of cleaning supplies. Pietro got enough pressure from his douche of a dad, so they didn't feel the need to put much more on his shoulders.

Girls in the Brotherhood...really didn't do anything. Rogue was long gone before they implemented the house rules, which were put in place following Mystique's disappearance. Tabby's powers were more suited for entertainment than anything else, and her impulsiveness made it difficult for them to figure out what she'd be best suited for. Wanda, meanwhile, wasn't exactly the type to take orders from anyone. She had more pressure on her than Pietro did, so the Brotherhood mainly just let her focus on figuring herself out. There were times when it seemed like she felt isolated from them because of the way they handled her, but some mild teasing usually shook off that temporary insecurity.

Finally, Todd was in charge of finances. While it wasn't something he talked about, Todd was actually pretty smart. Thanks to a mild learning disability and his desire not to academically stand out amongst the Brotherhood, his test scores were usually rather low. Still, he did well in crunching the numbers, forming budget plans, and keeping them relatively steady. He was the least likely to waste money on something unimportant, so it didn't take much prodding to hand him control. He went for groceries once every two weeks, maybe twice if there were uninvited guests or something ran low unexpectedly. While Todd occasionally hopped there on his own, Lance usually drove him so that they could get goods back more easily.

Todd's mind briefly drifted to Lance, remembering he'd shuffled the older teen into the bathroom for safekeeping until they got everything paid for and loaded in the car. Lance "I'm Fine" Alvers was, thanks to his powers and general stress, a frequent migraine sufferer. Everyone had noticed this ages ago, but their leader wasn't exactly the type to admit when he was feeling under the weather. His normal route was just to pretend everything was fine and go about his day as usual, despite looking like he was about to collapse.

Sometimes, when the headaches were too severe, he'd hide out in his room with the lights turned off and his favored rock music notably silenced. The rest of the Brotherhood didn't badger him about it, knowing it would just make the situation worse. Help for their sick idiot leader was intentionally subtle; They were quieter, less mischief, and kept the house dark and cool. If one of them were feeling generous, they'd leave some water and saltines on Lance's nightstand.

Today it started off light, a minor headache from last night's brawl with the X-dorks. At least, that's how Lance tried to make it appear. There were some tells, letting them know he was worse off then he claimed to be; he was sweating, his movements were shaky, and a brief glance at breakfast made him noticeably pale. But unfortunately, Todd knew from their morning meal of last night's leftovers that they needed desperately groceries. Since Lance was the only one allowed to drive his car, he wasn't going to be able to ride out the waves of pain on his own just yet. Thankfully the others chose to tag along today, and they were rustling through the other aisles with Todd's very precise list on hand. No doubt they'd add unnecessary items to the cart, but today he was feeling slightly lenient on their spending habits. Normally on the rare occasion that they shopped altogether, Lance would keep them in line, but he was a bit indisposed at the moment; Driving had taken a lot out of him so by the time they got to the store, he looked like he was gonna hurl. Thus him being moved to the bathroom stall; The lights in there were far too bright for his liking, but it was private.

Throughout all of his migraines, Lance never really asked for anything to dull the pain. He was stubborn enough to want to grit his teeth through it, and they usually didn't have the money for it anyway. But this month, with Fred finishing off another freelance job, Todd scoring big on some side pickpocketing, and no one almost going to jail, they had a little extra in their pockets. Hopefully enough to legally grab the much needed meds.

Some mild commotion was going on in another part of the store, and Todd picked up on a few familiar voices but otherwise didn't dwell much on it.

"Mr. Tolensky, interesting to see you here." Huh, apparently the X-geeks shopped here too, go figure.

"Yeah man, it's grocery day." Todd mumbled briefly to Xavier, focusing back onto his task. He could tell the older man was trying to pick at his brain, but he had other things to be concerned for. Like figuring out which of the cheapest meds was the most effective at handling migraines.

"Professor! the Brotherhood are here. I think they're gonna try to start something-" Scott's words are paused by the sight of Todd, his stance shifting to a fighting position. "What are you guys here for, Toad?"

"Easy Scott." Xavier chided, causing Scott to awkwardly relax. "They're not interested in causing any trouble today."

The look of disbelief on the laser teen's face was almost comical "Professor, it's the Brotherhood! When aren't they causing trouble?!"

Xavier ignored the comment, instead wheeling himself closer to where Todd was still furiously wracking his brain over the seemingly random words assaulting his vision. The written word wasn't exactly his strong suit, especially when it was words he couldn't properly pronounce. A hand stretched past him, and Todd unconsciously shifted to not get in the old man's way. Then a box was pushed in his direction, and he looked to find Xavier handing him one of the medications he'd been pondering about.

"This may be a good option for you." He suggests, allowing Todd to swipe the box from him. "We have it stocked in the mansion in case Jean or I overdo it."

"...Thanks." His voice is a mix of gratitude and distrust. On one hand, the medicine is probably the right choice in terms of Lance's symptoms; the professor wouldn't exactly lie about something like this. On the other hand, it's advice from an adult, an X-dweeb no less, so it takes him a second to swallow his pride and accept it.

"Of course." Xavier gives a light smile, which only adds to Todd's discomfort but he doesn't address it. "If anything gets to be...too much, be sure to visit. We still have plenty of rooms left in the manor."

Todd doesn't shoot down the olive branch, nor does he immediately take it. He nods quietly, not looking at the unusually quiet Scott as he brushes past him. Todd meets up with the Brotherhood, sans Lance, and quickly returns a majority of the unneeded items (mostly candy, courtesy of Pietro) before leading them to the checkout. He doles out the exact amount needed, including tax, and throws in an extra couple dollars in case another candy bar mysteriously makes its way onto the conveyor before returning to the bathroom.

Todd knocks twice before slipping under the stall door, finding his leader thankfully a little better than when he was left there. While the bowl was currently clean, the smell of recent vomit was still lightly wafting through the air. Lance's still pale and sweating, and he appears to be clammy from what's probably an oncoming fever. Todd doesn't think he should be driving them back, and he might get his way if he can pass the meds onto Lance in the car, but for now his main concern is getting him there at all.

"Yo Lance, I'mma have to pick you up so...don't hurl on me or nuthin'."

Lance responds with a muffled groan, the closest that Todd's going to get to an affirmation. He crouches down, draping the older teen's arm over his shoulder before hefting him upwards. They swayed immediately, with Lance's skin nearly matching Todd's, before they had to crouch back down again. The gags from the leader's throat made the frog boy wince with sympathy, though thankfully it seemed to be nothing but dry heaves. Still, it took a couple minutes for everything to settle before they tried standing again, much more carefully this time.

The chill in the morning air had caused Lance to put on a hoodie jacket before they left, and Todd decided to pull the hood over the other boy's head before they tried leaving the stall. Movements were slow and steady to prevent any unnecessary collapse. Lance was leaning the majority of his weight on Todd, who didn't bother commenting on it despite the strain. By the time they'd gotten to the car, everyone else was already buckled in. Fred had squeezed into shotgun, barely managing to fit, and Wanda was in the driver's seat. Pietro, as well as the groceries, were nowhere to be seen, so he'd most likely taken them home on his own. The back was conveniently empty, with an unused plastic sitting helpfully in one of the seat pockets. Todd dug into Lance's pocket and, once he found the keys, tossed them over to the scarlet witch. Wanda had gotten her license sometime after she'd joined them, but due to Lance's stubbornness on always being the one to drive, she'd never gotten a chance to use it after her exam.

Lance made a groan of protest at being shoved into the back, but Todd ignored him as he buckled the two of them in. Safety first.

"Better hold this, dude." Todd says, handing Lance the plastic bag as the engine starts rumbling. "Things are gonna get a little _rocky_."

From the front, they hear Wanda and Fred groan at the rock pun, but Lance, with a slight smile, seems to appreciate it all the same.


End file.
